Proposal
by 9r7g5h
Summary: The proposal that should have happened, but that never did.


**AN:** Okay, during episode sixty-five, who else seriously thought that Lief was going to propose to Jasmine? *Raises hand* It was made even worse for me because literally five minutes before the end of the episode, my power went out, forcing me to wait an entire day to finish it, during which I imagined the many ways it could have gone. Well, since that didn't happen, this is how I thought it was going to end. Now, I'm going off a fan-translation of the episode, so sorry if some of the words are wrong. I hope you all like it!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Deltora Quest. Emily Rodda does. :)

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"Lief is a spoiled kid who is leaving with another girl because he had fallen for her tricks and seduction," Jasmine snarled, her fists shaking and eyes burning as she glared at Prin. "Lief is a totally spoiled boy. He does not know when to stop, so he must have fled the kingdom of Deltora with a..." Seeing the looks that had flashed across her friend's faces, ones of worry, expectation, and the slightest hint of fear, Jasmine allowed her words to trail off into silence as she slowly turned to face the person who had just appeared behind her. Her mouth suddenly dry, the final word of her rant fell without her permission as she stared at her king, her eyes wide and surprised to have found him so easily. "...woman... Lief!"

"Jasmine, you are right," Lief said softly, both his eyes and voice tender yet amused by what he had overheard. "I am the king, but I am also the criminal. I have a lot of things I need to do before the kingdom can grow, and I have too grow up and become a man. One worthy of this country."

"But Lief," Gla-Thon interrupted, taking the momentary silence to answer the question that had been on everyone's mind since this morning, "where have you been all day? Everyone has been worried about you."

"Well," Lief said slightly embarrassed, his head tilting so he could avoid the other's curious stares as he made his confession, "I was actually making something in the forge. Something for a very special someone." Almost as if it had been done without thought, his hand traveled to his pocket, his fingers automatically finding the precious item he had caused such an uproar over. "It's suppose to be for after the ceremony." Giving his friends a little shrug, Lief turned as if he was about to enter the tunnel and return to the palace when a small hand and short voice stopped him.

"You know Lief," Gla-Thon said with a wink and a sly glance towards Jasmine, "if you're really going to propose, there probably won't be a better time than now. If you wait, you risk others overhearing what should probably be kept between the two of you and all of us."

"I must agree," Zeean said with a nod of her head, her eyes glinting with the restrained joy that was the Toran way. "It would be a wonderful surprise for the people of Deltora to be able to hope for such a bright future, and I honestly do not believe a better match could be found." Nodding her head once again, she allowed a reserved smile to grow across her face as she turned to completely face the king. "If you should go through with this," Zeean reassured the blushing young man, "you have the Toran's blessing."

"As do you have the Ralad's," Manus spoke up, his own emotions plan upon his face as he looked between the two teens. "I'm sure the others would love nothing more then to see you two married."

One by one, under Jasmine's confused and hurt glare and to Lief's growing mortification, each of the representative of the other tribes gave their blessings for Lief's coming action. By the time Glock had finished giving his approval, Lief's face had returned to its normal coloring and his eyes had become thoughtful, swirling with ideas and plans that been plaguing him for a fortnight, but that now were being abandoned in the moment he had thought he would need them. Finally, after a long moment in which silence had been allowed to reign, the young king nodded and turned to face girl that stood besides him.

"They're right, you know," Lief murmured as he pulled the object from his pocket, keeping it hidden from sight in the fold of his hand. "This would be, and in fact, it is, the perfect time to make my intentions known. My only worry is whether or not she will accept them."

It was then, much to Jasmine's surprise and the other's expectations, that Lief took the three steps that closed most of the distance between them, took Jasmine's hand between his own, and knelt before her.

"Jasmine," Lief said quietly, his mix of original and traditional words almost too soft to hear over the thudding of her heart, "I know that I am doing this wrong. Were we to follow the traditions of the people of Del, I would have courted you, asked for your parent's permission, and have only then approached you with the question I now have. However, neither of us are very tradition people, are we? So, it is with our friends as witnesses and our shared trials behind us that I ask you to marry me." Releasing her hand with one of his, Lief held out the ring he had made for her, a simply blue stone had in place by a simple band of silver, and waited for her answer.

Her face unreadable, Jasmine pulled her hand free of Lief's and stepped away.

"I...I'm sorry Lief," Jasmine replied in a voice that was just as soft as his hand been, though her words were even more muffled by the harsh lump in her throat that she couldn't seem to swallow, "but I can't marry you. I just can't."

"Jasmine, why..." Rising to his feet, Lief reached out a hand as if he was about to grab her, but Jasmine quickly moved away, ignoring the shock of her friends as she continued to shake her head and put even more space between them.

"I can't Lief, I just can't," Jasmine whispered quietly, her hands folded close to her chest in a defensive position, as if she was preparing herself to ward off a blow. "You can't marry me. The people of Deltora deserve a proper queen, someone who can help repair the damage done to the kingdom, and you deserve a wife who wouldn't think of home as a prison. I can be neither of these. I'm not nobility, I'm just a wild girl from the forest, remember?"

"But Jasmine, it's that wild girl I've fallen in love with," Lief replied gently, carefully closing the distance between them so that he could cup her cheek, forcing her to properly look at him, "and she's the person the people of Deltora deserve, for she's more then I do. We don't have to get married today," Lief continued reassuringly, "nor do we have to any time soon. If, one day in the future, you change your mind, you can call everything off, but today, all I'm asking is, one day, maybe, will you marry me?"

Staring into Lief's eyes, the truth of his words shinning through them in the way he was looking at her, Jasmine, despite the worries and concerns that still plagued her, nodded and replied.

"Yes."

The cheers of their friends seeming to come from far off, Lief happily slid the ring he had made on to Jasmine's hand, his fingers gentle as they intertwined with her own. Silently asking permission, it was only after a silent acceptance was given that, finally, Lief was able to kiss her.

Their future was uncertain and full of twists and turns that no one could have prepared them for, but at that moment, neither of them could care less.

* * *

By the time the ceremony was over, when the commoners were finally allowed to mingle with their king and national heroes, everyone knew.

In part, it was because of the sly glances and secret smiles that passed between the two, looks that carried their hearts in every moment their eyes were locked. Despire their care, it was easy to catch them staring across the room at each other, all others forgotten as they entered their own private little world, where they were the only inhabitants that could intrude upon the peace they felt. In part, the secret had been revealed by the way their friends looked and acted around them, casting fond smiles and over the top rolls of the eyes whenever they managed to find each other in the crowd. There was also a slight difference in how they acted with her, for while they were still friendly, there was a sense of formality and respect in their voices, tones that told that the one they were speaking too would soon hold great power. It was a similar way of speaking that they had held with him, and even if she was the king's most trusted companion, this change spoke louder then the carefully chosen words they had decided to use.

For the most part, however, no matter how hard she had tried to keep it hidden and not draw attention to it, everyone had known within moments what had transpired between the two teens by the simple yet beautiful ring that had graced her hand that could have only come from one person.

With a week, although no official announcement had been made, all of Deltora knew that their country would eventually, perhaps not for a few years, but soon enough, have a Queen.

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**AN:** Sorry if they seemed a bit OoC, but when I was imagining this, it was quite a romantic image, which probably helped a bit to change them. Sorry again, but I hope you still liked it.


End file.
